Undoubtedly, the thought of re-piping your home is a scary proposition. It’s not so much the process that’s frightening, although the thought of no water for a little while isn’t fun to think about, the dollar signs involved are the real nightmares. It’s important to realize that no matter what, you’re going to have plumbing issues at some point; that is, if you aren’t employing the use of an outhouse. This doesn’t necessarily mean imminent doom and disaster. It’s important to know the signs to look for when it really is time to trade in the old plumbing for the new and improved.

What Kinds of Pipes Do You Have?
Different pipes last different lengths of time. Take a peek at your home inspection or call in a quality plumber to inspect your pipes and find out what you have.

Supply pipes are the ones bringing water into your home and are most susceptible to leaks. However, drain lines may also cause trouble. The type of material they’re made from goes a long way in determining their lifespan.

• Galvanized steel supply lines last between 80 and 100 years.

• Brass supply lines also last up to 100 years.

• Copper supply lines lasts between 70 to 80 years.

• Cast iron drainage lines last up to 100 years.

• PVC drainage lines may only last 25 to 40 years.

Now, if your pipes exceed their estimated lifespan, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a mandatory replacement at this time. The way they have been maintained and the type of water you have affects lifespan, too. Also, if you find you have either lead or polybutylene pipes, you should go ahead and replace immediately. Polybutylene is just prone to breaking, but lead pipes pose a serious health hazard.

You’ve probably considered multiple ways to lower your bills if you’re like most folks. Some ways are no-brainers, like paying off credit card debt. However, you may wonder how in the world you can ever reduce your utilities without giving up things like hot water, air conditioning, and refrigerated foods. Believe it or not, there are ways to make your utility bills more manageable without giving up modern living. Your electric and oil bills could indeed decrease with one potential change. Have you considered a demand water heater? If you haven’t, you should.

Storage Water Heaters
You’re probably familiar with storage water heaters. These are the giant tanks that are usually hidden away in some deep, dark dungeon inside your home. These types of water heaters sometimes employ the use of natural gas or propane, but also often run on electricity. Because the water is constantly heated, providing large amounts of readily hot water in a moment, it may waste energy. Typical single family tanks offer 20 to 80 gallons of hot water at any given time. As the preheated water is released, cold water enters the bottom of the tank and begins warming, keeping a relatively constant supply of warm water on hand. Read More

In this age of DIY culture, a little research can help you to fix just about anything. And when something simple comes along– like a leaky faucet or a clogged toilet, a YouTube tutorial is a great help. But, what if you have a plumbing problem that is not so easy to fix? What if you don’t know what is wrong or find that the work needed is above your pay grade? Here are some tips to help you know when it is time to bring in a plumber.

Is Your Water Pressure Low?
Low water pressure can be attributed to any one of a number of possible problems. It can be caused by an obstruction in the pipe, a poorly designed supply line or even low pressure from the city supply. It could even signify that there is a hole in your plumbing somewhere that needs to be fixed. Whatever is causing the problem, it is definitely not a problem for a novice. This is when you need to call in a professional.

It’s becoming increasingly important for people to conserve resources and ensure that they’re used in a sustainable manner. Water is not only one of the most important resources but is also at the center of environmental conservation. Today, appliances and products that use water are being developed in a way that promotes water conservation. It may surprise you to learn that there are efficient toilets that are specifically designed and built to help you save on water bills. Low-flow toilets have been found to use less water than conventional toilets. However, if you’re to enjoy a lifetime of use, you should be aware of the problems associated with the toilets and know how to deal with them.

Professional installation
The first thing to do in order to enjoy ease of maintenance would be to have your low-flow toilet installed properly. Professional installation will ensure that all the different parts of the toilet are in the right place. This will leave you with a toilet that not only saves water but will also function as expected for a long time.

Proper cleaning of the toilets
Since these toilets are water-efficient and have a less powerful flush, you’ll find it harder to keep the toilet bowl clean. In order to remove any water spots or stains that develop on the inside of the bowl, you will have to clean your low-flow toilet properly. These toilets are also made from polished materials in an effort to prevent staining during waste removal. This is why you should avoid using abrasive cleaners. Instead, consider using green cleaning products that will ensure the longevity of the toilet. Read More

Older homes carry an unmistakable air of unique character that is sometimes missing from newer homes. This fact may be what led you to purchase an older home in the first place. While that fact is true, also innate at the core of older homes is the fact that their plumbing can have an eccentricity all its own. There is no standard. There is no normal. Every single setup is different and as a result, the nuances of taking care of these older systems is different than a standard game plan. Not blind to this fact, we will outline a few ways that you can help maintain the integrity of older plumbing to keep the home’s charm in your sights.

Mature Home, Mature Everything
Often times a factor that you may overlook is the fact that if you’ve invested in an older home, they generally have mature foliage and growth on the property. A misguided root from a older tree can have catastrophic implications for your homes’ pipes. A critical point of triage can truly reside in this area. Even if there aren’t presently trees on the land, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some in the past that were incompletely removed. An unattended root in the plumbing can be the kiss of death for your home’s system. Read More

Plumbers get emergency calls for many reasons, from clogged sinks to burst pipes to sewage back-up. Although no one can predict when a sewer main will clog or a toilet flapper will fail, many of the most common plumbing calls could have been prevented with a little foresight and some knowledge of the home’s plumbing system.

Save yourself money and time: Check out these five things your plumber wishes you wouldn’t do.

Use Chemical Clog Busters
A chemical clog buster should never be your first choice when trying to loosen a stopped drain. If there’s something solid in the pipe, the corrosive chemicals may not be able to dissolve it, leaving you with a sink full of burbling liquid incrementally etching your pipes until the plumber arrives.

Perhaps you’re planning a playroom for the kids, a rec room for the teenagers, or that long-awaited man cave. Essential to the plan is a basement bathroom so folks don’t have to pound up the stairs whenever nature calls. Every active home can always benefit from an extra bathroom, but adding one to a basement brings a few challenges. Check out these special plumbing needs before you forge ahead.

Drainage Concerns
Some lucky homeowners may find that their sewer and wastewater lines are deep enough that their bathrooms can be constructed in the usual way, using gravity to drain the waste and water just like in upper bathrooms. There may already be stubs of plumbing pipes available for instant hook-up.

But even in this best-case-scenario, a plumber will have to make sure that the flow rate is fast enough for the fixtures you want to install. Also, a plumber will have to determine whether a back valve should be installed to the sewer line to prevent a smelly backflow to what will likely be the lowest access in your home. Read More

Rattling, knocking, and/or vibrating pipes can make any homeowner wonder if the plumbing is about to burst through the walls. The good news is that most clattering, knocking, and pounding sounds are not signs of impending doom. But for the long-term health of your system, such noises should be checked to find the root cause.

Here are three reasons why your pipes may be vibrating.

Loose Pipe Clamps
Whenever you turn on a faucet, showerhead, or any appliance, the natural result will be an increase in water flow through your pipes to that outlet. If one of those pipes is not securely clamped, that surge can cause a vibration which may rattle the pipe against whatever solid surface is closest. Try inspecting all exposed pipework when the rattling or vibration is occurring, especially in basements, to make sure all pipes are properly clamped. Unfortunately, if the rattling pipe is behind a wall, you may need to cut away the wallboard to get it fixed.

Watching little rubber balls swirl around the toilet bowl is a delight for many toddlers, but any adult witness will swiftly plunge his arm to the elbow to retrieve it. That’s because every homeowner knows that flushing small, hard items can cause messy toilet back-ups, yet any plumber will tell you that this isn’t the primary cause.

Most toilet back-ups are a result of consistent flushing of common household items by adults.

Check out these ten things that you should never flush down a toilet.

Hair, String, Floss
Hair, string, floss and other fibrous items do not easily dissolve in water. Flushed into the pipes, they can catch on items, tangle up, stick to the inner walls, and over time provide a netting to catch other non-biodegradable items into a solid, stubborn clog.

Disposable Diapers
“Disposable” diapers are meant to be tossed in the trash, not flushed down the toilet. Designed to be absorbent, they’ll quickly swell and get stuck in the pipes.

Feminine Hygiene Products
These items are quite commonly the cause of toilet back-ups. Like diapers, they’re built to be absorbent which makes them a terrible threat to the pipes.

Baby Wipes, Paper Towels, Sanitary Wipes
The general rule of thumb is to never flush down the toilet anything that isn’t degradable. Toilet paper is thin and easily ripped for a reason: Once in water, it dissolves quickly, making for a swift and unimpeded ride through the sewage pipes.

Baby wipes, sanitary wipes, and even paper towels are designed to be stronger and tougher. They’ll only cause trouble if you flush them down the toilet.

Cotton Balls, Swabs, Make-Up Removal Pads
A cotton ball may seem fluffy and insubstantial, but it won’t quickly dissolve. Most likely, the tiny threads will get caught on something (say, a seine of hair and dental floss) and help build an ever-more-dense accumulation of non-degradable material.

Grease and Oil
Grease and oil disposal is a more common problem in a kitchen sink drain, but the theory still applies for toilets. Grease and oil can coat the walls inside the pipes, inviting accumulation that may lead to a clog. Read More

Repairing or replacing a faulty pipe is almost always the best fix for a persistent leak, but as every homeowner knows, time and circumstance can get in the way. Until the problem can be properly solved, you’ll want to stop the wasteful dripping as well as avoid long-term moisture damage of the surrounding area.

Check out these four DIY quick-fixes to stop that pipe from leaking—for now.

Plumbing Epoxy
For this simple repair, first turn off the water source to the leaking pipe. A dollop of this putty-like compound, available at most hardware stores, can be molded and pressed over the hole. After the molding material hardens, turn the water back on to make sure it has created a seal. This fix is best for small leaks and cast-iron pipes.

Pipe Tape
Homeowners sometimes use duct tape as a temporary fix for a leaking pipe, but duct tape isn’t fully waterproof. For slight cracks or a series of pinhole leaks, you’re better off winding pipe tape along the area that needs repair. Pipe tape is resistant to temperature extremes, it’s anti-corrosive, and it’s far more waterproof than duct tape. It’ll make a better and longer-lasting seal. Read More